Improvement in street-sweeping machines



3Sheets--Sheet1. T. CRAIG. Improvement in StregkSweeping Machines.

Patented Nov. 5,1872.

Witnesses.

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3 Sheets---Sheet 2:

T. CRAIG. Improvement in Street-Sweeping Machines. 132,805.

Patented Nov. 5 ,1872.

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T. CRAiG.

Improvement in Street-Sweeping Machines.

N0. 132,805, Patented Nov.5,1872.

m a/ rm I M. PuowumoenAPmc cu. nrmseomvs's Feaczss) U vrrn Ares THOMAS CRAIG, OF GLASGOW, NORTH BRITAIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN STREET-SWEEPING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 132,805, dated November 5, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS CRAIG, of Glasgow, in the county of Lanark, North Britain, have invented a new or Improved Machine for Sweeping Streets, of which the following is a specification:

This invention, which relates to a new or improved machine for sweeping'streets, is susceptible of various modifications.

Description of Drawing.

Upon v Sheet 1 of the drawing hereunto appended, Figure l is a side elevation, showing one modification of my improved street-sweeping machine attached to an ordinary streetca-rt, Fig. 2 being a plan of the same detached from the cart, but with the means of attachment shown in plan, while Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged detached views of that part of the mechanism hereinafter described as the shoe 0.

The same letters of reference mark thesame or corresponding parts upon the different figures on which they occur.

The mechanism shown upon Sheet 1 of the drawing consists of a rectangular framing, A, supported by two wheels, B, situated at either end of an axle, 0, carried in suitable bearings formed on or attached to the framing A. Upon the axle O, and toward either end thereof, bevel-wheels a are fixed and geared into 'bevel-pinions b fixed upon short shafts 0 carried by means of brackets d attached to the framing A. Upon each of the said short shafts c a chain-pulley, e, is fixed, over which a chain is passed, the said chains being represented by the dotted lines f at Fig. 2, and similarly passed over corresponding chain-pulleys c fixed upon the inner ends of the axles g of two circular brushes, D, the axes of which are inclined at an angle to the axle C and parallel with the short shafts c, as more particularly shown at Fig. 2. The inner ends of the axles g are supported in bearings situated at one end of links E, the opposite end of each of which links is centered upon one of the short shafts 0, while the outer ends of the axles g are similarly carried in bearings h formed in one end of links E, the opposite ends of which are carried upon studs 0 attached to the outside of the framing A in a position co-axial with the shafts c. To the outer ends of the links E and E chains 'i and i are respectively attached,

tached to the framing A. The opposite end of the compound lever G is furnished with a counter-weight, I, while the axle Z of the drum F is provided with a ratchet, n, and detent or pawl. In front of both the brushes D thin blades K are situated, which serve the double purpose of shields to theirrespective brushes D and as scrapers for raising the dirt frorn'the causeway or street. The said blades K are bolted to brackets on the frame so as to be adjustable both vertically and to and from the brushes. The scrapers may be made in sections, bolted together, so as to be adjustable vertically independently of each other. Upon the axle G a chain-pulley, L, is fixed with an endless chain, represented by the dotted lines 7', Figs. 1 and 2, Sheet 1, passed around it, and similarly round a smaller chain-wheel, L fixed upon an axle, 1', supported at the extremity of a jib, consisting of angular stays s and 8 attached, by their lower ends, to the framing A. Upon the axle r a flanged drum, M, is fixed, around ers P secured to the framing A. These hang-' ers P are formed with vertical slots u, and horzontal slots at are formed in the framing A, so

that the hangers P, and with them the shoe 0,

can be moved upward and downward and backward and forward to and from the brushes D, as required. The sweeping apparatus is attached to the axle c of the cart Q by means of a coupling-bar, w, fixed to the front of the framing A of the said sweeping apparatus. Near the forward end of the coupling-bar w a swiveljoint, w, is placed, in front of which the coupling-bar w terminates in a flat palm, w, in which is a series of holes, or, and through any one of these holes at a stud or pin, 3 is placed, the said stud or pin 3 being screwed through a cramp-frame, y, fixed upon the axle e of the cart Q, so that by screwing the stud or pin 3 upward or downward, and placing washers of different thicknesses between the flat palm m and the crampframe y, the coupling-bar w can be attached to axles of different heights. When the car Q is drawn forward over a street or roadway, and with it the sweeping apparatus, the wheels 13 and axle O of the latter are caused to revolve, and, as their motion is transmitted to the shafts 0 through the bevel-wheels a and pinions b, the revolving motion is consequently conveyed to the brushes D by means of the chain-pulleys e and e and chains f. The revolvin g motion thus conveyed to the brushes D being in the direction indicated by the arrows, Figs. 1 and 2, the dirt is thereby constantly brushed from the street or roadway and thrown forward from the periphery of the brushes D, and, by means of the angular position of the brushes D, the dirt so gathered is coerced gradually inward toward the angle situated between the brushes, and finally deposited upon the shoe O, from which it is lifted by the elevator M and thrown therefrom into the cart Q. To facilitate the turning round of the apparatus in or at the corner of a street or roadway the wheels B thereof are both furnished with a disengaging gear, consisting of a ratchet, a, and pawl 11, whereby at any time the motion of the wheels B'may be rendered independent of each other by throwing the pawl b belonging to either out of gear with its ratchet a, while the wheel which is retained in gear still causes the axle G to revolve with the wheels B, and thus the rotation of' the brushes D can be constantly maintained; or, when it is necessary or desired to move the mechanism over a street or roadway without sweeping, the pawl 12 of both wheels B may be disengaged, and thus the brushes D and elevator cease operating, and the brushes D are drawn upward out of contact with the street or roadway at any time by elevating or depressing the weighted end of the compound lever G, (whose position may at any time be fixed by the employment of a rack, not shownin the drawing,) the chainsi and t attached thereto lifting the ends of the links E and E, wherein the brushes D are carried.

As the brushes D wear through use they are further susceptible of adj ustment to keep them in contact with the street or roadway, this bein g effected by turning the drum F on its axis, thus unwinding a portion of the chains 1? and 1', thereby virtually lengthening them and allowing the ends of the links E and E, and therewith the brushes D, to be further lowered. When the required position of the brushes has been thus obtained the drum F is secured in its position by throwing the pawl into gear with the ratchet it upon the axle Zof the drum F. Inorder that the brushes D may be kept constantly in contact at their inner ends, as they become smaller in diameter through wear, set-screws c are provided at the outer ends of the axles g, by turning which the said axles g, and with them the brushes D, can be moved inward when required; and, further, in order that the two brushes D may sweep closely up to each other at their inner ends, the bass at their ends is set so as to project obliquely from each brush toward the center of the apparatus. As it is found in practice that this is insufficient to prevent a little dirt escaping between the brushes a third brush, which is made stationary, can be used, (not shown on the drawing,) situated in the angle formed by the inner ends of the two revolving brushes D, and attached in a suitable manner to the framing A. It is evident that when a stationary brush is thus situated any dirt that would otherwise escape between the revolving brushes D is caught by it. The stationary brush can be arranged in a slide, by means of which it can be lifted from the ground with the revolving brushes D when the sweeping apparatus is idle. It is to be understood that in place of the brushes being arranged as shown at "Figs. 1 and 2, Sheet 1 of the drawing, they may be situated in relation to each other, as shown in the diagram, Fig. 5, Sheet 1, under which arrangement the other parts of the mechanism are similar to that hereinbefore set forth and shown on the drawing.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation, and Fig. 7 a plan of another modification of my improved street or road sweeping apparatus, arranged for being operated by manual labor. Under this modification one brush, D, is employed, situated in angular position behind the cart Q, as shown. The axle g of the brush D is supported in bearings h fixed upon the extremities of the lower beams Q of the cart or usual receptacle, the said beams Q being prolonged for this purpose. Upon the axle of the cart Q, at one side of the apparatus, a large chainpulley, e, is fixed, round which a chain, represented by the dotted lines f, is passed, and

similarly round a smaller chain-pulley, c, fixed upon a stud, f, supported in a bearing fixed upon one of the beams Q. Upon the stud f a bevel-wheel, a, is fixed and geared into a similar bevel-wheel, b, fixed upon the axle g of the brush D, and thus, when the cart Q is drawn forward, a rotary motion is transmitted to the brush D in the direction indicated by the arrows, Figs. 6 and 7. In front of the brush 1), and at the outward end thereof, a shoe, 0, is situated, attached to and projecting downward from the beam Q at that side, and immediately above the shoe 0 the lower drum N of the elevator M is situated, the axle of which is carried in bearings s fixed upon the beams Q. The axle of the upper drum M of the elevator M is supported in brackets s fixed upon the upper part of the cart Q. Upon the axle of the drum M a chain-pulley, L, is fixed, round which a chain, represented by the lines 7', is passed, and similarly round alarger corresponding chain-pulley, L upon the axle of the cart Q, and thus the motion is transmitted to the elevator M whereby the dirt is lifted from 0d the shoe 0 and deposited within the cart or receptacle a. It is to be understood that in lieu of placing the brushes D in the front part of the machine, as hereinbefore described and shown on Sheet 1 of the drawing, their position may be reversedthat is to say, they may be situated at the rear part of the machine, and the elevator maybe actuated in the direction indicated at Fig. 1, or in a reverse direction, the buckets of the elevators bein g arranged accordingly. When the brushes are situated at the rear part of the machine, according to the modification now last referred to, it is preferred to employ a central bearingwheel at the back part of the machine, which can be raised or lowered when required, to support or regulate the position of the machine to suit the desired level of the brushes as they become worn in contact with the roadway.

On Sheet 2 of the drawing, Fig. 8 is a side elevation, and Fig. 9 a plan, showing a third modification of my improved street or road sweeping apparatus. As shown by these figures, the mechanism consists of a horizontal framing, A, carried by two wheels, 13, revolving on an axle, (3, attached to the framing A. The wheels B are situated outside of the fram 1ng A, as shown. Attached to the wheels B, and revolving with them on the stationary axle O, are bevel-wheels a, which gear into pinions b, situated on the extremities of the short shafts 0. The shafts c revolve in bearings carried by the brackets D, which are attached to the ends of the axle 0. Upon each of the short shafts c a chain-pulley, e, is placed,

- over which a chain is passed, the said chains being represented by the dotted lines f, shown at Figs. 1 and 2. These chains are also passed over corresponding chain-pulleys e, fixed upon the outer ends of the axles g of two circular brushes, D and D, respectively, the axes of which are inclined at an obtuse angle to each other, and parallel with the short shafts c, as more particularly shown at Fig. 9 of the drawing. The outer ends of the axles g are carried in bearin gs situated at one end of links E. The opposite end of each of the links E is centered upon the short shaft 0. The inner ends of Y the axles g are carried in asimilar manner, the bearin gs being situated at one end of links E, the opposite ends of which are centered on studs k attached to the framing A. Under this modification the inner ends of the brushes D and D are arranged relatively to each other, in such a manner as to prevent dirt escaping between them during the operation of sweeping. In order to effect this the lengths of the brush D are set so as to form a cup or hemispherical recess at its inner end, as shown in dotted lines at Fig. 9, the hear ing for supporting the inner end of the axle 9 being situated in that portion of the axle g within the body of the brush. The, brush D is situated so that its inner end projects into the cup formed at the inner end of the brush D, as shown more particularly at Fig. 9. The bearing for supporting the inner end of the axle g of the brush D, may be situated at the extremity of the axle g of the brush D, or it may be placed a short distance outward on the said axle g. In front of each of the brushes D and D is placed a splash-guard, G each of which is attached at its outer end to the links E, while the inner ends are attached to a compound lever, G, centered in bearing-blocks situated on the upper side of the framing A. The opposite end of the compound lever G is furnished with acounterweight, I. The sweeping apparatus is provided with an elevator, M, similar to that hereinbet'ore described, as applied to the sweeping apparatus illustrated by the drawing on Sheet 1, for depositing the slush or dirt into cart Q. Under this arrangement the bearings for supporting the axis of the lower drum of the elevator M are formed in links L the lower ends of which are attached to the shoe 0, while their upper ends are attached by means of studs to the framing A. The links L are connected by means of second links m, shown in dotted lines at Fig. 1, to the compound lever G, whereby it is evident that, on depressing the end of the compound lever G provided with the counter-weight I, the brushes .1) and l) and elevator M, together with the shoe 0, can be raised from the ground simultaneously. Centered on studs situated at the outside extremities of the brackets D are the levers M One extremity of each of these levers M is attached to a clutch, 0 which gears with a second clutch, 0 attached to each of the chain-pulleys c, the other extremities of the levers M are connected by means of the rods 1) to two arms, p, of a second set of lovers, formed in the shape of a cross and centered on a stud, t attached to the framing A, shown in dotted lines at Fig. 9. The puiley round which the chain passes for actuating the elevator M, and situated on the axle U, is also provided with a clutch, m, which is actuated by one end of a lever, N centered on the stud t the other end of the lever N being connected, by means of a rod, a, to one of the arms Attached to the two longer arms 8 of the second set of levers is the one extremity of each of the rods 3 and 3 respectively, which pass along the framing A, and are provided with handles Z and Z at their opposite extremities. It is obvious, on referring to the drawing, that when the handle Z is pulled by the attendant in charge of the machine, the several clutches are thrown out of gear, thus stopping the action of the sweeping and elevating mechanism; and in like manner by pulling the handle Z the said clutches are put into gear. The'brushes D and I) adjust themselves as they wear by contact with the street or roadway by means of the movable links E and E, to which their axle-bearings are attached, the said links E and E being, respectively, centered on the short shafts c and on studs k attached to the framing A, their extremities, to which the bearings which carry the axles of the brushes E and E are attached, having a tendency to fall, thereby allowing the respective brushes D and D to be lowered as they wear. If desired, the inner ends of the brushes D and D may be connected by a Hooks or llllli'QIStl joint.

When the cart Q is drawn forward over the street or roadway, and with it the sweeping apparatus, the machine is put in operation in a manner similar to what is hereinbefore described in reference to the arrangement illustrated at Sheet 1 of the drawin It is to be understood that in place of the brushes being arranged as shown at Figs. 8

and 9 of the drawing, Sheet 2, they may be situated in relation to each other as shown at the diagram plans Figs. 10 and 11, Sheet 2. The diagram plan Fig. 1.1 shows the employment of a third brush, which may be stationary or revolve with the other brushes.

In Sheet 3 is shown an arrangement of details differing somewhat from those befor illustrated. The brushes are arranged in front of the axle, as in the arrangement illustrated in Sheet 2; but are driven from eountershafts c 0, also in front of the axle, both countershafts deriving their motion from a shaft, 0, driven from the axle. The outer journals of the brush-shafts turn in bearings in links E E hung to the shafts e e, and the links are con nected to cords f f passing round pulleys e e e e on the frame to a winding-drum, F, on the balanced lever G. The bearings of the inner journals of the axles are connected to cords t, which pass to the drum F, on turning which both brushes may be raised or lowered simultaneously. To a vertical shaft, 8 which both turns and slides in bearings on the frame, is

Claims.

1. The combination, in a sweeping-machine, of an inclined brush or brushes, a shoe arranged at the rear end of the brush or brushes so as to receive the matter directed thereto,

and an elevator arranged to receive and remove the matter from the shoe.

2. The combination, in a sweeping-machine, of a suspended brush and a weighted lever supporting the brush.

3. The combination of the counterbalanced lever supporting the brush, a drum, retaining device, and cords or bands passing from the drum to the brush shaft or bearings.

'1. The combination, with the brush-shaft, of set-screws 0, arranged as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The arrangement of two brushes at an angle, one brush extending across or into the inner end of another brush, as set forth.

6. The links L the lower drum of the ele vator M, shoe 0, inner bearings of the brushshafts, and lever G and links at or their equiv alents, combined substantially as described, so that the said drum, shoe, and bearings may be elevated and depressed simultaneously.

7. The shaft 8 carrying a brush and arranged near the adjacent ends of the brushes D D, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS CRAIG.

Witnesses:

JOHN BROWN, J OHN C. lWAGANDIE. 

